Machine for inserting combing-needles in temporary holders or books.



' No. 841,858. 1 PATENTED JAN. 15, 1907.

' T. TOWNSEND. MACHINE FOR INSERTING OOMBING NEEDLES IN TEMPORARY HOLDERS OR BOOKS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 7. 1906.

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No. 841,358. 4 PATENTED JAN, 15, 1907.

T. TOWNSEND. MAOHINBPOR INSERTING COVMBING NEEDLES IN TEMPORARY HOLDERS OR BOOKS: APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 7.1906.

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THE NORRIS ETERs ca., vusnma'mu, Az'c UNITED STATES ATENT FFTQE.

THOMAS TOWNSEND, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

MACHINE FOR INSERTING COMBING-NEEDLES lN TEMPORARY HOLDERS 0R BOOKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

.Patented Jan. .1 5, .1 907.

Application filed September 7,1906. Serial No- 333,656-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THoMAs TOWNSEND, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Providence, inthe county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Inserting Gombing- N eedlesin Temporary Holders or Books, of which the following is a specification.

My invention .relates to novel improve ments in machines for automatically positioning and inserting needles or pins in a separable holder or book, so called, preparatory to soldering them to a suitable back or bar, the latter then forming a combin which said needles constitute the teeth.

In United States Patent. No. 723,080, granted to me March 17, 1903, is illustrated and described a machine for mechanically feeding the needles and filling the clamping block or book. I may state here that ingeneral fiber-combing machines as usually constructed are provided with suitably-actuated cylinders or members having a. plurality of combs adjustably mounted therein. The sharpened teeth or needles of the combs are adapted to engagethe. staple or fibers of the.

material being acted upon, so as to lay them (the fibers) substantially parallel with one another preparatory to converting them into sliver.

. The object sought .to be attained in my present invention is to produce a comparatively inexpensive machine in which the needles, which latter constitute the comb-teeth, as above stated, are automatically positioned and filled in the book with greater facility and efliciencv, the machine, moreover, beingsimple in construction and, its operative parts readily accessible.

To this end my invention consists, essentially, of a pan or reservoir for containing the loose needles, a suitably-mounted book or holder having a row of properly spaced and alined holes or grooves registering with-the bottom of the pan, and means for shaking or reciprocating the pan and book in unison, all constructed and arranged so that any of the thus-agitated needles when in proper alinement with said exposed holes enter therein, the action being continued until practically all the holes of the book are filled.

During the foregoing-described operation some of the mispositioned needles drop throughan opening formed between the adjacent edges of the :book-and panintoua receptacle beneath, while at thesametimeithe shaking movement causes other of chance- -dles to become segregated and-someto become mixed with the greater mass ofsneedles in the reservoir. The thus-filledbook isnext removed from the machine and an empty one substituted therefor, which is filled in'tuI-n. The removed book is placed onedge, (the row of needles being uppe1most,) whilethe attendant, by means or a straight edge, presses the needles. downwardly in the holes untilall are arrested by the stop-gage, followed by firmly clamping the-sides or j awe: of the book together. The butt portion'ofthe needles projecting from the book (.all thembeing in alinement) are next soldered to t'he top or plane surface of asuitably positioned:back or bar member constructed as usual,-after which the jaws of the book are slightly-separated, thereby freeing the thus completed or filledcomb. The latter is now. ad-apted tobe inserted in the cylinder ofa :combing-m'achine and brought into action, substantially as usual in machines of thisitype.

In the accompanying twosheets ofdr-awings, Figure lrepresents a frontside elevation of an automatic needle-inserting "machine embodying my present invention. F ig. 2 is a corresponding plan :view. Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on line 3 3 ofFig. 1. Fig. 4 is a partial transversesectional view, on enlargedscale, taken on line 4 4 of Fig. :1. Fig. 5 is a partial horizontal sectional view taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 4. .Fig. 6'is.-a:longi 'tudinal sectional view, .enlarged, taken-on line 6 6 of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a plan view of'the book holder on frame detached from the maclii'ne, the book also being. omitted. 'Fig.'8'is a planview of the book itself thezneedles being omitted. .Fig. 9 is an'end'view of the book. in reduced scale, showing therelation of tie comb-bar to tiebook and itszneedles while tie latter are being SOlClGIGd lZOilJiZQlbELI. Fig. 10 is a plan view of the comb, a'portion being broken away. Fig. l leisra similar-view, greatly enlarged; and Fig. 12 representsin elevation a portion of the face of tlebook before. the jaws are fullycl-amped together, the needles being omitted.

I would state that the needles-or pins-n, the comb C, and linged book1B,.as illustrated, are well known, andIzthereforedo not speci'lically claim them herewith. It may be added,-however, that the book consists ofzthe two folding or hinged upper and lower flat plates a a, each having a gage-bar b, of brass or other suitable metal, secured thereto by bolts b. The said members I) are oppositely disposed and extend longitudinally of the book, the adjacent faces being provided with suitably spaced and alined grooves 6 each pair of grooves being parallel and adapted to receive therein only the smaller or sharpened end portion of a needle 12.. At the back end of the grooves is located a longitudinallyextending straight stop-bar b the same being secured, say, to the lower one of the flat plate members a. This bar, which may be made of wood or suitable metal, forms a stop for limiting the distance the pointed end of the needles may be inserted in the members I), and since all the needles are uniform in length it follows that when they are properly positioned therein the ends of the exposed portions projecting beyond the front edge of the book will be in alinement also. The two plates a of the book are adapted to be clamped together as desired by means of the bolt and nut b.

In carrying out my invention as embodied in the illustrated machine A, I employ a suitably-shaped flat shallow pan or reservoirf for containing the needles 1% in a loose state. Said pan is as drawn hinged and secured to a pair of side frames 9 and fitted to reciprocate back 'and forth on fixed horizontal par allel ways h, in turn secured to a base L. The pan is located above said side frames 9 and hinged thereto at f. To the under side of the opposite or rear end of the pan is fixed a transverse bracket f having slots f Fig. 3, through which pass clamping-boltsf tapped into the adjacent ends of the frames 9. (See also Fig. 1.) By means of the device last referred to the pan can be swung and adjustably secured in any desired angle within its limit or range of movement.

A reciprocating rectilinear or shaking motion may be given to the pan in any wellknown manner. As drawn, the driving arrangement embodies a belt-driven shaft 8, revoluble in a bearing member or stand 8, secured to the base 'i. A slotted crank-disk a is fixed to the inner end of said shaft, the crank-pin 19 passing through the slot and being adjustably secured to the crank. A connecting-rod p, jointed to the crank-pin and to a in 99 mounted in the side frames or cross-nead g, reciprocates the latter and the needle-carrying pan f in' unison and at the same rate of speed, all as clearly shown- To one end, which may be termed the front end, of the reservoir f is removably secured the book-holder frame D. (Shown more clearly in Figs. 6 and 7.) This frame member equals or exceeds the length of the an and is adapted to carry the book and to he attached to the pan in any suitable way,

the arrangement being such that all the said members are adapted to move simultaneously and in unison. As drawn, the end portions of the frame D are substantially U- shaped, the upper and lower sides (1 d thereof being separated, so as to freely receive the book B. The lower end members d are slotted at d and are seated snugly against lugs formed on the under side of the pan, bolts lc serving to maintain the holder in place. The latter may be provided with a series of suitably-arranged screws m for adjustably securing the book in position in the holder, whereby the face or edge of the grooved or apertured gage-bars b may be accurately adjusted with respect to the corresponding edge and bottom of the reservoir. It will be seen that the vertical sides or wall of the latter does not extend across the front end adjacent the face of thebook. The latter, however, practically constitutes the equivalent therefor. An unobstructed narrow opening 1" is provided at the bottom between the front edge of the pan and the face of the book for the free escape of improperly-positioned needles at that point. These latter fall directly into a suitable receptacle or vessel r, secured to the movable side frames g. (See Fig. 1.)

A guard or separator E is located at or near the front end of the reservoir f. It consists of a bar o, extending horizontally across the top and arranged to be adjustably secured to the side walls by means of end screws m and is provided with a series of suitably-spaced downwardly-extending fingers v. The func- .tion of this device is to separate the needles to some extent, thereby preventing them from massing in front of the gage-bars b of the book. The device also serves to assist in guiding the needles so that they more readily assume a degree of parallelism preliminary to entering the openings 6 of the gage-bars.

The following describes the manner of operation: The proper gage-bars I) (selected with respect to the thickness of the needles to be used) are first secured in the suitablyadjusted boo'k B. The latter is then mounted in the holder or book-frame D and the whole firmly secured to the reservoirsay by the bolts 7c. The book is next accurately adjusted by means of the screws m, so as to allow a suitable space 1" between it and the front edge of the pans bottom, while at the same time providing that the top surface of the latter is in alinement or registers with the lower side of the grooves 12 The needleguard E should be adjusted or positioned nearer to or farther from the open end of the reservoir, according to the length of the needles to be used, or, in other words, the distance from the edge of the book to the guardfingers 'v is materially less than the length of the needle. The pan may be tilted, if desired, and secured in such adjusted position by screwing up the bolts f Now upon setting the machine in motion the action of the revolving crank, &c., will impart a reciproeating rectilinear movementto the sup ported and guided frame or orosshead g and all the parts or members carried by it. The result of said movement agitates the needles contained in the reservoir and will cause themto separate from one another, some of them gradually alining themselves with and entering the holes 5 Others are temporarily arrested by the fingers o, and still others may after passing the fingers become Inispositioned and drop through the opening 1 into the receiver r. After running the machine a comparatively short time practically all the holes of the pair of gage members 6 will become filled with the needles. The machine is then stopped and the book-can rying frame D detached, followed by removing the thus-charged book, the substitution of an empty one, 620., substantially as hereinbefore stated. If desired, the cross-head g, pan f, and its attached parts may be readily tilted upwardly from the front end before the frame D is removed, thereby causing the loose needles to slide to the rear end of the pan, after which the parts may be returned to the normal working position, followed by removing the frame and its book.

My improved book charging or filling machine A although being comparatively simple in construction, as hereinbefore described, nevertheless possesses great practical advantages, from the fact that it is capable of per forming in a given time an amount of work exceeding that of several operatives wherein the books are filled manually.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent, 1s

1. In a machine of the character described for automatically inserting needles or analogous members, the combination of a reservoir for containing the needles in a loose state, a needle-receiving device provided with holes arranged to receive needles therein direct from the reservoir without the intervention of a runway, and means for imparting a shaking movement to the said res ervoir and needle-receiving device.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a mechanically-movable reservoir for containing needles or analogous articles, a frame or holder secured to and movable in unison with the reservoir, a book adjustably mounted in said frame, and members IIXGCl in said book provided with a row of holes arranged with respect to the reser voir, so that the action of the moving parts l automatically positions the needles and K causes them to enter the said holes of the book members. l

3. In a machine of the character described, 6 5

the combination. with a suitably-mounted mechanically-movable reservoir for containing needles, of an adjustably-mounted book, so-ealled, removably-secured to, andmovable in unison with said reservoir, gagebars-secured in said book having suitably-arranged holes therein positioned so as to receive needles direct from the reservoir, the latter and the book being so placed that a narrow space 1" extending longitudinally of said gage-bars is formed between the vertical face of the latter and the adjacent front edge of the bottom of the reservoir through which mispositioned needles may pass and fall by gravity.

4. In a machine of the character described, the combination ofamovable needle-carrying pan, a correspondingly-movable needle-receiver provided with a row of alined holes arranged to automatically receive needles therein direct from the said pan, and a separator movable with the latter and provided with fingers extending downwardly into the reservoir to assist in segregating and positioning the needles.

5. In a machine of the character described, the combination with fixed ways and a crosshead intermittingly movable back and forth thereon, of a needle-carrying pan hinged to andmovable with said frame, and means for tilting the said pan in angular planes with respect to the frame and securing it in such adjusted position.

6. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a'needle-carrying reservoir open at its front end, a holder-frame D removably secured to said end portion of the reservoir, a book B adjustably mounted and secured in said frame and having a row of suitably-spaced holes or grooves in alinement with the bottom of the reservoir and located contiguous to the front end thereof, and means for imparting intermittent reciprocating rectilinear movements to the said reservoir, frame, and book members, substantially as described.

7. In a machine of the character described, fixed ways, a frame movably supported thereon, a receptacle movable with said frame for receiving mispositioned needles, and driving means for reciprocating the frame at a comparatively slow rate of speed, in combination with a needle-carrying reservoir secured to and movable in unison with said frame, and a device detaehably secured to the front end of the reservoir provided with suitably formed and disposed holes arranged and adapted when the machine is in action to receive needles into said holes d rect from the reservoir.

8. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a suitably-mounted needle-earrying reservoir, means operatively connected therewith for imparting to it a reciprocating rectilinear movement, a device therein direct from the reservoir, substanfor varying the length of stroke of said movetially as described. 10 ment, and a device movable in unison with Signed at Providence, Rhode Island, this the reservoir and provided with openings 5th day of September, 1906.

registering with the bottom of the latter, THOMAS TOWNSEND. constructed and arranged so that in action Witnesses: any needles when in' proper position and in GEO. H. REMINGTON,

alinement with said openings may enter C. E. INGE. 

